NOTES ON NURSING
 | MNA Legislative Meet & Greet in Alexandria an Eye-Opener for Elected Officials |  |
30 nurses from Bemidji, Alexandria, and Fergus Falls gathered on Nov. 20 for a “Meet and Greet” with local legislators and a continuing education session on nurse advocacy.
MNA Nursing Practice Specialist Carol Deimert and MNA President Linda Hamilton presented on the Main Street Contract and the history of advocacy in nursing, “Nurses have a long history of being leaders in advocating for women’s rights, civil rights, and improvements to our healthcare system,” explained Deimert.
After the presentation, Rep. Paul Anderson (GOP- Starbuck) and Rep.-Elect (Ben Lein DFL-Moorhead) came to meet nurses and discuss some of the nursing issues the legislature may be addressing this session. Many nurses shared stories of poor staffing situations affecting their patients, their practice and their profession. The legislators listened, took notes and thanked the nurses for helping to explain why issues like staffing are so important.
“Before coming here tonight, I really thought of nurse staffing as really more of a management right. I’m really glad I came though because what I’m hearing from you is that this is about patient safety and I have serious concerns if you are not getting the staffing you need to keep it safe.” Said Rep. Anderson.
Political Organizer Grant Bendix stressed the importance of more discussions like these. “Most legislators don’t come from a health care background and don’t truly understand how important these issues are unless nurses call their legislators and come to events like these to explain from their own experience.
By all accounts, the event, organized by Northwest Regional Action Council member and District 7 President Connie Fields, was a success. Fields summed it up well, “Hopefully this is just a start to get more “movement” out here in West Central Minnesota.”
NYSNA Leaves ANA, Looks to NNU Nurses have voted by 91% to move NYSNA forward and leave the American Nurses Association. “While we’re going forward, the ANA is moving backwards,” said Wendy Braithwaite, RN, a nurse from Montefiore Medical Center.
Nurses’ Salaries Grow Faster than Primary Docs Physicians saw wage growth of 9.6% from 1987 – 2010, while other providers, including registered nurses, increased wages on average of 44%.
LABOR NEWS
Union-backed Self-Governing School Finds its Voice The self-governed school concept is based on the idea that those closest to a classroom can make the best decisions for students. It mimics many features of charter schools, but within a district framework. The Minneapolis district agreed to the union-backed concept as one of a handful of “new schools” it hopes can make progress on the state’s student achievement gap.